England manager Thomas Tuchel has sidestepped a question about whether he believes Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand – beating Argentina in the World Cup semi-final.
Tuchel is aware of the challenge that Messi poses, particularly given the Argentine's stellar form, which has seen him become joint-top of the Golden Boot charts at the World Cup so far.
The England manager sent a clear message about not overawing Messi, emphasizing the need for the team to focus on their own game and not build him a "throne" of admiration.
Tuchel even hinted at trying an old-school man-marking system to keep Messi quiet, but stopped short of confirming whether this would be the tactic he would employ.
Given Messi's impressive track record of beating top defenses, perhaps the wisest approach for England would be to focus on their own game, rather than trying to stop the Argentine maestro at all costs.
Limiting Messi's opportunities by being the better team and creating more chances for themselves could be the key to success for the Three Lions tonight.
